Upstate House

Some Like it Hot: Wood Stoves for Warmth & Design

By Melissa Esposito  |  Winter 2025   |  Home Improvement

Few things signal coziness like a wood stove. Equal parts utility and vibe, it’s a heat source, a design anchor, and a small ritual of firekeeping that turns winter into an aesthetic. Once dominated by boxy black iron, wood stoves have evolved into objects of thoughtful design—slim, sculptural, colorful, even hygge-forward. The internet may churn with hot takes on efficiency and emissions, but the allure of a real fire remains steady: Warmth that looks like warmth, delivered with flicker and feeling.

“Wood stoves have a lot of positive aspects; the ability to heat a home with a secondary heat source if there is a power outage is at the top of the list,” says Patti Boker, a marketing specialist at Wittus: Fire by Design, a producer of European-designed hearth products with a showroom in Pound Ridge. “Having a wood-burning fire in the home also adds ambiance. Wood stoves bring back childhood memories for some people, yet others simply love the art of lighting a fire, where the firekeeper has control of the flame and how much heat the stove produces.”

Wittus, which has been in business since 1978, imports wood stoves that have a sleek, often minimalistic look that shies from tradition. Their products are also EPA-certified as environmentally clean-burning. “We specialize in contemporary stoves and fireplaces, and 99 percent of Wittus customers come to us for the sleek design and efficient function of our products,” Boker says. “Niels Wittus, the owner, is from Denmark and in Danish the word hygge means comfort. We style our business and our product line after this concept.”

One product, the Shaker, brings a modern-yet-minimalist twist to the traditional wood stove design. A boxy stove on tall legs, the Shaker (which comes in two sizes and starts at $8,150) was crafted with the influence of Shaker furniture in mind, and one version has an attached bench for sitting beside the fire. In past years, the stove has won both the prestigious Red Dot Design award and a Chicago Museum of Architecture and Design Good Design award.

Another popular option at Wittus is the Stack ceramic stove (two sizes, starting at $17,240). With its distinctive tower shape, its ceramic body was made in Italy by La Castellamonte and designed by Adriano Design Studio, who’s worked with brands like Scavolini, Olivetti, Fiat, and Melitta.

While the European sensibility creates an elegant, artful look, those who prefer the rustic aesthetic can head closer toward the Catskills to visit the showrooms of Fireside Warmth (Kingston) and Green Heat (Stone Ridge). Both offer a variety of eco-conscious and stylish options by top brand names like Endeavor, Jotul, and more. Their teams can guide you through the installation process, whether you’re adding a completely new freestanding wood stove and need to build a chimney, or simply upgrading an older unit with a more efficient option. Each shop can assist with other considerations, such as ideas for protecting your floor from heat and embers.

Burn Smarter, Not Just Brighter

No matter what your style, there are a few key traits to look for when shopping for a wood stove.

According to Boker, the very first thing is to start with finding the best spot in your home for even heat distribution, so that you can purchase the right size unit for the space, in terms of heating capacity. She also notes that some stoves are designed with built-in pizza/baking ovens, cook tops, and other food-safe features that allow you to prepare a meal while you heat your home. If this is an appealing style to you, that should factor into your location selection process, as well.

When it comes to keeping wood handy, she recommends either having storage nearby or opting for a stove that offers built-in wood storage. “It is important to use properly dried, clean-burning wood, preferably kiln-dried or seasoned for at least two years,” she explains. “Wood is sustainable when burned in an efficient wood-burning stove.” According to the EPA’s website, burning dry, seasoned wood in an EPA-certified stove decreases your chances of inhaling wood smoke, which may contain carcinogenic chemicals. Keeping an air purifier in your home adds an extra level of protection.

A wood stove also serves as a way to boost the efficiency of existing home heating elements, allowing you to reduce energy usage in rooms surrounding the stove. While a new unit includes a hefty upfront investment, not to mention the labor of sourcing wood, feeding the fire, and cleanup, homeowners may start to see a return on investment as soon as the first heating season starts.

“There has been a slowdown in new homeowners since last year when the real estate market was on fire, but there are still new clients in the area looking to install a stove into their homes as a secondary heat source,” Boker explains. “We always get a fair number of customers looking to upgrade their existing fireplace or replace an older unit with a more efficient and contemporary one. People are looking to save on heating in every way they can, and adding a stove to your home takes the edge off.”

Wittus: Fire by Design: 40 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge
Green Heat: 3815 Main Street, Stone Ridge
Fireside Warmth: 901 Route 28, Kingston

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